Val Doonican - Rocking... But Gently - Episode 1

Val Doonican's gentle baritone voice and Irish humour instantly endeared him to the British public - at its height, 20 million viewers tuned in to watch The Val Doonican Show. Patrick Kielty goes in search of the secret of his enduring success, tracing Val's journey from the days when he arranged songs for his siblings in his Waterford bedroom, to his arrival as the king of Saturday night TV. Friends and colleagues, including Terry Wogan and Ronnie Corbett, ponder the popularity of Val's showbiz trademarks, props and the comic Irish songs for which he's most remembered. Gaudy jumpers and Paddy McGinty's Goat aside, new in-depth interviews with Val Doonican allow room for reflection on a career at the top of the TV industry. Other contributors include Lynn Doonican, Ronnie Corbett, Yvonne Littlewood, Terry Wogan, Roger Richards, Jim Moir, John Williams and John Ammonds. Music and television archive from his earliest musical influences; to his musical collaborations with stars like Rosemary Clooney, John Williams and Crystal Gayle; also reveal a man with considerable musical talent and a unerring professionalism. Programme one takes us back to a poor but happy childhood in Waterford, formative years spent touring dance halls and singing about sausages, before a move across the Irish sea and onto the stage at the London Palladium and the top of the charts with Walk Tall.